MOBILE, Ala. | South Alabama head men's golf coach Ben Hannan announced a pair of signees for next season during the national signing period.

John Mark Mills from Pontotoc (Miss.) High School will join the Jags and enters his senior season ranked No. 6 (Junior Golf Scoreboard) in the state of Mississippi. He is a two-time Mississippi River Cup Team Player and played in the Southern Junior Cup and AJGA Mississippi Cup.

Mills is the defending Mississippi Junior Am Champion after firing three rounds of even-par or better (72, 69, 69). He also had top finishes at the 2022 HJGT Orlando Fall Junior Open (18th out of 92) and the 2021 HJGT Tournament of Champions (9th out of 112).

"I saw John Mark early last summer recruiting at an event in Birmingham," Hannan said. "As I got to know him and learned more about his game, I knew he would fit well into our model.  As a multisport athlete, John Mark has only been focusing solely on golf for the last two summers. Winning the Mississippi State Junior shows his ability, and his game will only get better with continued exposure and competition.  We look for him to add depth and make an impact early in his career. "

He is joined in the class by Joshua Achord from St. Paul's (La.) High School who is ranked No. 225 in the nation (Junior Golf Scoreboard) and is sixth in the state of Louisiana. He is the defending LHSAA State Individual Champion after helping his team to a third-place finish and finished second individually for three 2021 LHSAA team state champions.

Achord had several top 10 finishes recently including seventh (out of 65) at the 2022 Elite Invitational, and third (out of 51) at the 2022 AJGA Shreveport Juniors. He also finished eighth at the 2022 Louisiana Boys Junior Am and ninth at the 2022 AJGA Junior Beaver Creek.

"Joshua has played consistently well throughout the summer and put together some really nice under par rounds against strong competition here in the Southeast region," Hannan said.  "We look for players who are trending and a fit both academically and athletically.  Joshua is a great addition to our talented group and with his physical skills will have the opportunity to compete right away."

"We are very excited to welcome both Joshua and John Mark to the South Alabama golf family."  

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